Written on the Wind (The Blackstone Legacy #2)(43)
“I’d like to arrange for us all to see the opera,” Poppy said. “We have the best box seats at the hall. Or perhaps Liam could host a party aboard the Black Rose? We can invite people of consequence for a lovely afternoon sail.”
Liam winked. “I’m not sure you’d approve of the kind of parties I like to have on the Black Rose, Pops.”
Poppy’s smile stiffened. First of all, she hated being called Pops. Secondly, the Black Rose had been Oscar’s yacht until last year, when Liam managed to finagle it out of her father’s hands in a quick-thinking business negotiation. The deal had been brokered by Patrick and was a rare victory for the younger men over her father.
“An afternoon sail would be the perfect way to introduce Count Sokolov to all the right kind of people,” Poppy insisted. “You could invite Senator Lansing and his daughter. Millicent Lansing is a lovely young lady, and I think she might be perfect for you, Liam.”
Liam snorted. “Milly Lansing wouldn’t be caught dead with a lug like me.”
“Nonsense,” Poppy said. “For all his power, Senator Lansing doesn’t have deep financial pockets. We do. I should think Senator Lansing would find your courtship of his daughter very appealing. And it would be nice to have a senator in the family.”
“What is a senator?” Dimitri asked, bringing the conversation to a dead halt. Dimitri spoke such beautiful English that it was easy to forget he was a complete stranger to the United States.
“It’s an elected position,” her father replied. “Each state only gets two, and they are very powerful men. Senator Lansing controls the committee on foreign relations, so his status is even higher than that of most senators.”
It was as if a jolt of electricity brought Dimitri alive. “Tell me more about Senator Lansing,” he asked Poppy in a honeyed voice, and Poppy happily obliged, describing the senator’s charm and his reputation for hosting the best badminton games in the city. Dimitri was coolly elegant as he bantered with Poppy, but Natalia knew he had no genuine interest in Senator Lansing’s badminton court, only the senator’s position on the foreign relations committee.
Dimitri continued to lavish charm on Poppy, who wallowed in it like a pig in mud. Actually, he was charming everyone at the table, but Natalia was distracted when Alexander’s nanny entered the dining room to whisper to Poppy. It was impossible to overhear what Miss Felicity said, but she looked frazzled, and Poppy’s displeasure was evident as she rolled her eyes and quickly dismissed the nanny.
Was the baby ill? He’d started cutting a new tooth shortly before Natalia left for San Francisco, and he suffered terribly during the process. It wasn’t normal for the nanny to interrupt dinner unless it was urgent, and Poppy couldn’t be trusted to care. After all, Poppy had already returned to fawning over Dimitri, pretending to admire his opal stickpin as she ran a finger down his tie.
Natalia abruptly stood, causing all eyes to swivel toward her. “I haven’t seen Alexander in three weeks,” she said, setting her cloth napkin beside her plate. “I’d like to go check on him.”
She ignored their surprised glances as she headed upstairs. Let them be surprised. Dimitri didn’t need any help from her in winning her family’s affections.
When she arrived at Alexander’s nursery, Miss Felicity had the baby on her lap as he happily sucked on a bottle. Alexander was nine months old, with dark hair and a dimple in his chin when he smiled, but at the moment he was entirely engrossed with the bottle clutched in his pudgy fists.
“Is everything all right?” Natalia asked.
“I think so,” the nanny replied. “Mrs. Blackstone wants him trained not to need a bottle before bed, but he suffers so. He’s been crying for over an hour, and I couldn’t deny him any longer.”
Alexander’s eyelashes were still wet and spiky, but he looked calm and happy in the dim light of the nursery. Natalia approached, loving the way he rotated his head to look up at her and the quick flash of a smile when he recognized her.
“Can I feed him?”
Miss Felicity carefully stood, and the transfer was managed with ease. Soon Natalia was settled in the rocking chair, admiring the way Alexander was able to hold his own bottle in place. She assured the nanny that she would properly burp the baby and lay him down once he’d had his fill.
Then the nanny left, and Natalia had the baby all to herself. These moments were so rare, and a calming, simple joy settled over her. It didn’t take long before Alexander started dropping off to sleep even before he had finished the bottle. She set it aside and draped him over her shoulder, gently rocking as she patted his back, waiting for a burp or two before laying him down.
She wanted this someday. She turned her head to breathe deeply of his soft baby scent. It was a dangerous game, but she closed her eyes and dared to pretend that he was hers.
Dimitri got lost twice trying to follow Natalia through the winding corridors. At first he feared she was storming out of the house over the way Poppy had been fussing over him, but then he found the nanny, who directed him to the nursery where Natalia was visiting with the baby.
The mansion had the finest of everything, including electric sconces made to look like candles adorning the hallways. No expense had been spared in the acres of fine carpets in the hallways or the sculptures gracing the wall niches every few yards.